Page 10 of Rio's Release

She looks nothing like the girl from the other night, but I recognize her eyes… and the bruising on the side of her cheek she’s still trying to cover with makeup.

There’s something in her eyes that says she recognizes me, but with the mask and goggles, that’s impossible.

Her hands tremble, but she reaches again to hit that alarm button.

Zig shifts his weapon, and I know he’s going to pull the trigger. I react in a flash, surging forward and knocking his gun barrel upward a split second before it explodes into the ceiling tile.

Tears stream down her face now, and she screams, but it’s too late; she’s already pushed the button.

“I wish you hadn’t done that,” I say.

Bandit has a scanner to his ear, listening. “Let’s go. They just sent out the call.”

Then everything happens in a flash.

Bandit fumbles the scanner, and it crashes to the floor. When he leans over to scoop it up, the guard on the floor grabs for Bandit’s gun and shoots me in the leg.

Bandit slams him to the floor, wrestling it back, then hits him with the barrel of his AR15, knocking him unconscious, then aims it at his head.

“Stop!” I bark. “We’re not here for that.”

I fall back against a filing cabinet, blood pouring from the wound in my leg.

Zig drops to my side, rips a telephone cord from the wall and ties a tourniquet around my thigh. “Bandit, help me carry him.”

“No,” I snap. “I’ll slow you down. I’ll leave a blood trail.”

“We’re not leaving without you,” Zig insists.

“You have to get that money where it’s going,” I growl, shoving my phone and gun at him. “Take these. Don’t make any contact with me. That’s an order. No matter what.”

We stare at each other, and Zig’s eyes glaze, but he knows I’m right. He nods and looks up at the sound of sirens in the distance.

“Go,” I say, and he and the rest finally grab the bags of money and slip out the back.

My head drops against the file cabinet, and I meet Shelby’s eyes. I look toward the front windows. Flashing lights are coming up the street, vehicles barreling toward us. All I can do is hope my brothers make it to the rental cars and get away without being seen.

Thirty seconds later, the cops burst through the doors. Guns are aimed at me, and a man orders me to remove my mask and goggles. When I yank them off, I look at Shelby.

Her eyes flare slightly with the confirmation I am the same man. Maybe my voice gave me away.

One of the officers shoves me to a facedown position and puts a knee to the back of my neck. I’m handcuffed behind my back. The first blow to my ribs catches me off guard, but once he starts, he doesn’t stop.

My cheek is pressed to the floor, and I latch onto Shelby’s eyes. They glaze with tears, and she mouths, I’m so sorry.

CHAPTER FIVE

New Life

Rio—

The white prison bus bounces over every pothole as we make our way out of Las Cruces. Every jarring motion tugs at the cuffs around my wrists that are manacled to an iron ring welded to the seat in front of me. My leg aches from my wound, even though the doctors were able to get the bullet out. I walk with a slight limp now, but they think that will eventually disappear when my muscle damage heals.

I gaze out the barred windows, glimpsing my last view of people walking the streets and living their ordinary lives. Two kids ride their bikes down the sidewalk. They drop them to the ground and dash into a convenience store. The bus stops at a light and idles. A moment later, the kids come out with popsicles and the bus lurches forward as the light turns green.

Watching those kids reminds me of when I was their age, riding bikes with Zig to escape our sucky home lives. Until one day when the bikes became motorcycles and boys turned to men.

The bus makes a turn and everything squeaks.

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